Dartmouth’s Indian wars: The transcript

Dartmouth’s Two Minute Hate against the Dartmouth Review yesterday went under the Orwellian rubric of the “Solidarity Against Hatred Rally.” Big Brother has posted transcripts of the rally speeches, including those by President Wright (here), Dean Carol Folt (here), Acting Dean Dan Nelson (here), Native American Programs Director Michael Hanitchak (here), Sexual Abuse Awareness Program Coordinator Leah Prescott (here) and several students.
The Two Minute Hate ran a little long yesterday, but it was full of highlights. Among them was Hanitchak’s thanks to “the Abenaki Nation for allowing us to be guests here in their homeland.” Hanitchak fancies himself a courageous guy. Somehow he didn’t get around to calling on President Wright to return Dartmouth to its rightful owners among the Abenaki Nation. Also among the highlights was the poem offered by Sexual Abuse Awareness Program Coordinator Leah Prescott:

THIS IS FOR YOU! THIS IS FOR US! THIS IS FOR THOSE THAT HAVE COME BEFORE US! AND THIS IS FOR OUR LITTLE SISTERS AND BROTHERS THAT WILL COME AFTER US!
We hear your voices
Creative, bold, trembling, quiet, Loud, Piercing Voices
those voices that go into Op-Eds
those voices that followed your lead
those voices that called Alumni
those voices that told your parents about your experiences
those voices that demand answers
those voices that request change
We join your cries for help
We see your rebellion
On the steps of Dartmouth Hall
In your classrooms
In your frat and sorority basements
In front of Collis
In your secret society meetings
We honor your resistance to the community you didn’t sign up for
Because you didn’t sign up to be dehumanized on Posters & T-shirts
You didn’t sign up for victim blaming in comic strips
You didn’t sign up to be mocked & humiliated on canes & neck ties
You didn’t sign up to be taunted
You didn’t sign up for the stares, the hatred
You didn’t sign up to be mischaracterized or misrepresented
You didn’t sign up to be on the receiving end of racism, sexism, homophobia
You didn’t sign up to be denigrated
You didn’t sign up to be called anything but the name your parents or guardians gave to you
WE VALIDATE YOU & WE WON’T YOU LET YOU GO
WE APPRECIATE YOU, WE WANT YOU HERE & WE WON’T YOU LET YOU GO
WE NEED YOU HERE TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION
WE NEED YOU HERE TO PUSH BACK & WE WON’T LET YOU GO
WE WON’T LET YOU GO
IN MEETINGS WITH THE DEANS, IN POLICY CREATING SESSIONS, AT OUR STAFF MEETINGS, AT OUR RETREATS & TRAININGS
WE WON’T LET YOU GO
When we look at you we see ourselves
When we talk to you we hear ourselves
When we stand together we hold each other up
When we walk together we don’t let each other go
We won’t let you go (repeat as many times as you see fit)

Wow! As we used to say back in the day: Heavy! I can almost smell the incense. I concede, however, that Prescott’s recitation took courage. Prescott ran the risk of running afoul of the college’s Poetry Abuse Awareness Program.